McDonalds recently launched a new Quarter Pounder brand in Toyko. Thus far, it’s creating quite the stir in the branding world due to the fact the McDonald’s “Golden arches” are nowhere to be found.

According to Business Week (September 19, 2008), McDonalds ranks #8 on the Best 100 Global Brands lists. (Note: the only other restaurant brand that cracked the Top 100 was KFC at #64.)

With $37 billion in brand revenue – the big question is “Why would they deviate from their dominate brand?”
My only guess to why they would not use the brand they have spent decades and billions creating, is that they want to generate internet buzz around their new product offering. (Hey, it’s working right?)  I imagine this campaign will not rollout worldwide – but the new “no frills bundling” of this McDonald’s classic will be coming to a normally-branded McDonalds near you.

After the buzz has reached nearly every web-savy, fast-food consumer / pop culture junkie, I think they will ditch the black and red “no brand” and you will soon be able to walk into a McDonalds and order the no frills “Quarter Pounder” meal. No choices. No questions. No sizes to choose from. Actually, there is just one choice: single or double:

I think there are some things every business can learn from this.
• Creating buzz takes time, money and a great idea
• You can touch a lot of people thru the web
• Interesting and unique news travels fast
• Doing something controversial creates buzz

McDonalds has created a pseudo-brand and an entire network of stores in Toyko to drive web excitement around their new product. Most of us develop product sheets and an email blast to inform our customers and to drive excitement. Clearly, when you want BIG results, you need BIG ideas.

If you want to get to the next level, you need a unique idea that will set you apart from the competition and the gall to do it. Nice job McDonalds.

At Brand Iron, we’ll help you get outside the box when you want to create excitement around your brand. We’ll develop plans, creative ideas and tactics that will get noticed and will get your audience talking.

- Josh Barker, Brand Wrangler